SEEDS OF GOLD Saturday, February 15, 2014 DAILY NATION urban farming GREEN WEALTH» IT’S NOT THE SIZE OR LOCATION OF THE LAND THAT MATTERS, IT’S WHAT YOU DO WITH IT The trees on his small city farm are now worth Sh52m The young urban farmer planted seedlings as a hobby, and now his small forest takes care of all his personal and business needs BY EVELYN SITUMA the few young urban farmers in Nairobi. He is also one of the few agrarians vocal about their engagement. Farming, he says, is his pas- T sion and hobby. Teddy caught the farming bug at an early age — as a boy scout working with his father at their one and-a-half acre home in Nairobi. Teddy would help tend his father’s trees in the compound. However, with time, the small hobby has grown into a full time career and a business. He now spends most of his time on the farm. Early last year, he started bee keeping, in addition to forestry, which he specialises in. He has two beehives in his kitchen garden. Recently, he harvested 10kg of honey from one hive, though the experience was not pleasant. “I got stung and decided not to touch the other hive,” he says. Teddy has just cleared a chunk of his kitchen garden to grow new vegetables. Tree tomato, lemon grass, pepper, leek onion, spinach and sukuma wiki, however, still remain on the rest of his flourishing urban farm. Outside his house, on the left side of his farm, he has cleared a few trees to allow in more light on a location that he is making a wooden couch from looped trees. He loves twining young trees and later making furniture from them when they mature. He says entwining the trees results into stronger logs. Teddy sells the furniture to friends. In his kitchen, he has another THIS SEEDLING COST SH10. BUT NOW THE TREE IS WORTH SH40,000” Mr Teddy Kinyanjui farm. “This is the real urban farm,” he says with a wide grin, proud of his grown basil, chilly and Muringa. On his farm today, Teddy has 3,500 grown trees. “We added 500 more trees to what we had in 2013,” he says. The trees are worth Sh52 million. Tree farming, though not common with urban dwellers, is becoming popular. “Tree planting is such a good investment because it has what we call the triple bottom line,” Teddy says. Apart from earning money from the sale of logs, there is also the environmental side of it. Trees provide habitat for birds, are a captivating scenery, are good in carbon reduction and cleaning the air. Instead of felling trees, Teddy harvests small branches for firewood and charcoal. He also trims the upper part of the trees for timber. The four trees he felled esituma@ke.nationmedia.com eddy Kinyanjui is among About Teddy HE GROWS TREES, VEGETABLES AND MAKES JIKOS Teddy Kinyanjui is a 29- year-old urban farmer in Spring Valley, Nairobi. What does he farm: He farms 3, 500 trees, various vegetables and keeps bees How he started: He devel- oped his love for farming as a boy-scout and later turned it into a fulltime venture. He now runs a company called Cookswell. He deals in charcoal burners, barbecue jikos and ovens. Profits/worth: Given that Teddy Kinyanjui inspects fruits and vegetables at his farm in Spring Valley, Nairobi, on Thursday. He has maximised the use of his small piece of land in the city. JEFF ANGOTE | NATION last month are heaped on one side of the farm. He jokes that he is set for the cold season in July. He spent Sh4,000 on labour for the whole stack. This is much less than the actual value of the pile on the market. “This pile would cost up to Sh20,000 on the market,” he says. Teddy advises farmers wishing to engage in large-scale tree planting to practice mixed farming — food, fuel and fodder. “The first two years after you have planted the tree, one can plant vegetables for sale,” he says. “The following four years, livestock can feed on the grass beneath. On the tenth year, the farmer can start pruning tree branches but still bring in cattle and sheep to graze.” This means one can recover their cost on investment and begin making profits in the first six months just from vegetables. Teddy lauds farmers keen on farming trees for timber. He says there is good money in tree farming, given the rise in demand for timber locally. His belief is enshrined in a hardwood he planted 18 years ago. “This seedling cost Sh10. But now the tree is worth Sh40,000. This is something anyone can do To advertise or comment write to: seedsofgold@ke.nationmedia.com Teddy has 3, 500 trees on his small farm in Spring Valley mean he is Sh52million rich. A full grown Meru Oak costs up to Sh40,000. His aspiration: Teddy wants to continue conserving the environment by growing more trees. Cookswell products: Teddy makes triple burner jikos, barbecue jikos, charcoal kilns, conventional ovens, improved space heaters, tree seedlings and furniture. in spite of the size of their land,” says Teddy. He has also written a 50 page booklet on tree planting to guide new farmers, with support from the Tamarind Group. Teddy has leased land in Kilgoris where he farms trees used to cure tea. Today, Teddy continues to relive his father’s legacy. Prof Maxwell Kinyanjui designed the first ceramic energy saving charcoal burners (jiko) in 1982 with the support of the Ministry of Energy through a grant offered by USAid and World Bank. The project is aimed at helping rural families to save on energy as well as teach women how to make the energy efficient stoves. Teddy has grown the business big time. He has expanded the product line to include charcoal ovens and kilns. He also gives free tree seedlings to customers buying his products. His aim is for farmers countrywide to grow more forests. 23 3